


Heartstrings

by eyesasblackasthevoid



Category: The Arcana (Visual Novel)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-24
Updated: 2017-12-24
Packaged: 2019-02-19 20:20:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,286
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13131408
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/eyesasblackasthevoid/pseuds/eyesasblackasthevoid
Summary: Willa plays her violin for Portia





	Heartstrings

Willa isn’t exactly the patient type.

She paces the guestroom, fingers drumming on random surfaces, the magic beneath her fingertips antsy like bees caught buzzing in her veins. With a sigh she flops down on the bed and how soft it is almost calms her. It’s much more comfortable than the bed she has shared with Asra all this time and she has it all to herself.

She relishes in that fact and in the realization that she’s got a lot of things to herself here in the palace. Nadia has seen fit to spoil her, and she’s certainly not going to complain. What she will complain about is that it’s rather dull around once the work has been done for the day.

Pulling herself back to her feet she pads over to the stack of books she took from the library. Nothing relevant to the current search for Doctor Devorak, or to anything else for that matter as far as she could tell. They were old tomes with odd titles and odder content. Willa could feel magic in their pages, binding them together as surely as their spines.

The first words on the first book she opens are near indecipherable and before she can really focus on them, there’s a rap at the door.

Setting the book back atop the pile, she strides over to the door, opening it to see Portia.

“Ah, good, you're still awake.”

“Still awake, yes, though I’d much rather I wasn’t.”

“Something wrong, Willa?”

Willa felt a pang of guilt at the worried look she’d placed on Portia’s face. “That’s what you get for being dramatic,” she silently scolded herself before responding.

“No, nothing’s wrong. It’s stupid. I’m just bored. I’ve always complained about doing the work in the shop but I confess that I miss it right now. Idle hands, you know?”

“Oh, is that all? I’ve just the thing. There’s a part of the palace you haven’t seen yet, should be empty this time of night,” A slight blush spread across her features, red blooming beneath her freckles, “It’s actually why I came up here. You’ll like it, I promise.”

With a smile, Willa grabbed her cloak from where she’d hung it beside the door and gestured to the hall, ”Lead the way, then.”

She drew the fabric around her shoulders as she followed Portia, protecting herself from the seemingly ever-present chill in the halls of the palace. It grew even colder as they passed by the Count’s old wing and Willa found herself stopping and staring into the dark. She was reminded of the day she’d went in there, chasing after the guard who’d had one of Asra’s tarot cards.

She hadn’t appreciated Nadia sending her on that little adventure. Not only had it been a useless game, that proved little and helped the investigation even less, it had also lead her into the cold grey of the past. And that voice? What had it whispered to her? She couldn’t recall now, and put it out of her mind as she caught up to Portia.

Portia finally stopped in front of a set of ornate doors, vines full of flowers carved into their wood.

“No one uses this room, I’m sure the countess won’t mind me showing it to you,” Portia explained as she fumbled with her keyring, trying to locate the right one.

When she did, the doors opened to a large, open room, a desk in its center faced three floor-to-ceiling windows, a towering bookcase took up one wall and furniture, a loveseat and two chairs, lined the opposite.

Portia immediately strode over to the windows and opened the middle one, letting in a warm, fragrant, breeze from the garden. Then she went to the desk and it was only then Willa noticed the familiar, worn-leather case that sat atop it.

“Is that-”

“Your violin, yes. After you mentioned it last night I had another servant go collect it from your shop today. I hope that was alright.”

“And this room?”

“Nadia’s study, though I can’t say she’s ever studied much in here. Come to think of it, I can’t recall her ever stepping foot in here. I thought it’d be a nice room for you, somewhere you can have to yourself that isn’t the guest chambers.”

“Are you allowed to just...give me a room?”

“Have a little faith, Willa, Nadia trusts me…..and also, I uh, wanted to hear you play. If that’s alright, I mean. This room seems right for it.”

Willa crossed the room to stand on the opposite side of the desk and drew the case to her. Two gentle clicks as she pressed in the locks and lifted the lid. The instrument was old and worn, a long scratch down the side of its body from the one time she’d accidentally dropped it. It was hers, and often felt like it couldn’t ever belong to anyone else. She couldn’t remember who had given it to her, or who had taught her how to play but she would never let it go nonetheless.

Taking the instrument in one hand and its bow in the other she went to sit in front of the open window, just like she did back at the shop. Only this time it was before a window large enough that she could dangle her feet out of it. She smiled as she did, this was so thoughtful of Portia, Willa had no idea that she’d even been listening to her lament about being separated from the violin. Playing it for her is the least thanks she could give in return.

Following a quick tuning to the strings, her fingers found their home on them. As the bow in her other hand drew over them Portia noted that it did so like it was a part of her. 

Settling down beside Willa, Portia lost herself in the music staring out at the garden. The song was pleasant, upbeat for such a mournful instrument, but the fact that it was Willa playing it made it that much more enjoyable. In truth, she couldn’t recall the last time she’d gone out of her way to hear the violin. In fact, the last time she had, she did everything she could to get away from it because the performer wasn’t exactly talented. Not like Willa, the song ended without a single sour note to break the melody.

“So, you can do that, you can do magic. Is there anything you can’t do?”

“You tell me,” Willa said, setting the violin carefully aside and turning to face her, “Something in particular you want me to do? I’m up for anything.”

Portia felt the heat rising in her cheeks and being aware of it just made her blush harder. Looking right into Willa’s eyes was like watching the moon pass in front of the sun, beautiful but it’ll blind you if you stare too long. Portia thought little of the notion, distracted by how the gold moored around her irises sparkled in the pale light.

Regaining some composure, she countered, “What do you want to do, Willa?”

“Right now? I want to kiss you.”

“I thought you might say that,” She laughed, trying to cover up how nervous she was.

“Now, what do you want, Portia?”

“I want you to kiss me,” She admitted, reaching to cup the side of Willa’s face with her hand.

Willa closed the short distance between them and their lips met in a slow, sweet embrace. At the end of which, she rested her forehead against Portia’s with a soft sigh.

“Do that again,” Portia whispered not a moment later, breathless.

“As many times as you want.”


End file.
